“Five Good Things” about the High Price of Gas

The price of gas is rising to an alarming level as of late. Just hearing the fuel pump in the fuel pump assembly in my car kick on makes me nervous. It’s difficult to be anything other than dismayed at the current situation, but Insideline at Edmunds posted an interesting take on five “good sides” to the insanely high price of gas currently.

See how she's walking? Yay fitness!

 1. You can get in shape. With the price of gas so high, you will supposedly forgo driving short distances to walking or cycling, so you can arrive a sweaty disgusting mess at work after jogging 6 miles to get there.

2. You can learn to drive more efficiently. You will no longer floor it to get around that special individual in a Prius on the freeway going 10 miles under the speed limit, because it would cost you $1.25 to do so. You will patiently coast your vehicle behind the Prius and hope that you can safely and efficiently ease out from behind them by switching lanes, and then increase speed slowly…. And not think how worth it it would be to pay $1.25 to cut that special individual off.

3. You can “say goodbye to stress, traffic tickets, and accidents.” Theory is, practicing the above referenced efficient driving you will no longer be wildly weaving in and out of traffic, and your former habits of speeding will magically cease.

Take out a loan to fill this sucker up.

 4. You will be more inclined to support energy independence. Not being able to afford gas, you will be motivated to take public transportation, ride a bicycle, or because you’re so broke, fork out tens of thousands of dollars for an electric car (that uses lithium batteries we are still dependent on other countries to source). Or you can beg your boss to telecommute as an act of patriotism, because no one fears for their jobs already in this economy.

5. You now have a built in excuse for anything. Don’t feel like fulfilling familial obligations? Sorry Grandpa, I can’t afford to drive to your birthday party. Friend asking you to move? Sorry, can’t afford to cart your stuff back and forth.

There you have it. Five excellent things about gas prices being so high. Take them or leave them… I think I know which one I’m going with.